Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills look poised for another playoff run but could use some help ahead of next week's trade deadline. Wide receiver is a position of need for them and, fortunately for them, there are some good names that could be available via trade.
Brian Thomas Jr. is one of those names and while Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has said the team has no plans to trade Thomas, very rarely do coaches come out and say "Hey, yeah, we want to trade that guy". In other words, that comment means very little. Dianna Russini of The Athletic even reported that the Jags are indeed fielding calls on Thomas, so, again, this could end up happening.
If Thomas is on the trade block, the Bills would be fools not to throw their hat into the ring and see what it'd take to land him. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report put together his weekly big board of possible trade candidates and put Thomas as the 10th name on his list. Furthermore, he predicted it'd take a second-round pick and a defensive player as compensation for Thomas and had the Bills as one of two potential landing spots (with Pittsburgh being the other).
"While Coen can say whatever he wants publicly, it's hard to believe Jacksonville wouldn't listen to realistic offers that come through at the deadline. Thomas was a Pro Bowl-caliber star as a rookie in 2024, but something about his game isn't meshing with Coen's offense.
After racking up 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, the 23-year-old has just 365 yards and one score through seven games.
Prying Thomas away from Jacksonville with three-plus years remaining on his rookie contract wouldn't be easy, so he'll sit on the bottom of our board. Given his proven upside and the value of good young receivers, though, we'd be remiss to leave him off entirely."
Brian Thomas Jr. would give Josh Allen exactly what he needs
As Knox mentioned, Thomas had a sensational rookie year in 2024 but he hasn't been clicking with Coen and the first-year head coach's vision for the 2025 Jags. If Jacksonville is truly willing to part with him, the Bills would gladly take him off their hands.
Allen has thrived not having a top wide receiver that he has to consistently feed the ball to (cough Stefon Diggs cough) but when the playoff games start and those games and moments get bigger, having a weapon like Thomas could make or break the Bills' season. If he's available and the Bills have a chance to add him, they need to give up the second-round pick and defensive player Jacksonville wants in return. Doing so could be the difference between reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season or watching the game from home yet again.